Three days have passed since Rya's Golems raided Duke Alaric's gold stashes throughout the Veridian Enclave. Grayson sent his scouts out to find out which vaults were attacked and which ones survived the assault. Grayson didn't think his scout would return with such a devastating report.

He sent the Messenger Raven to the Divalo Manor as soon as the scout returned with the news. And so the raven flew over 300 miles west of the capital and found the manor easily enough.

***

Belial was going through the manor checking on his staff and seeing to it that they were taking care of their daily duties. It was important that everything was in order for Duchess Leandra's party for Grace's coming of age ceremony. All young nobles have these parties for their fifth and tenth birthday. Grace was turning ten, and Leandra wasn't going to miss this opportunity to get back into the good graces with the Ladies of the Court while turning them against Rya. So, everything needed to be perfect for the party.

The Duchess had ordered him to prepare the guest list, decorate the garden, and make sure the chef had a menu fit for a Queen. The Duchess would be having an audience of a few of the ladies of the court today and wanted everything to be just right.

"Miss Wendy... The idea is to hang the flower wreaths in a spiral pattern on the gazebo's pillars, not the silk," Belial said in an unamused tone. Most of the staff were struggling to meet the Duchess' demands. But the young servant girl had the easiest job. And she was making a mess of it.

"But Belial, I can't reach that high," Wendy replied.

"Then ask Mr. Wells or Mr. Olsen a letter. You know we don't have enough time for this," he snapped.

Wendy frowned as she removed the silk that was already on the pole. Belial watched her for a second, then turned around and continued walking through the manor, instructing the staff.

"Miss Beryl, please remove the gold silverware and use the platinum set," he said.

Beryl rolled her eyes and did as she was told.

"And Mr. Wells?... What are you doing with—"

Belial was distracted when he noticed a raven flying by the windows of them dining room and saw it flying towards the window to his office.

"Yes, Mr. Belial?..." the tall older gentleman asked.

"Nevermind. Carry on," he replied.

"Yes, Mr. Belial," the gentleman said.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back and when I return, we'll work on the centerpieces."

"Yes, Mr. Belial."

Belial rushed out of the dining room and made his way to his office. Once inside, he rushed to the window and opened it, letting the raven in. He wasn't expecting anything from his spies.

"Who sent you, little one... What news have you—"

Belial paused when he saw that the insignia was from the Raven Knights. They never sent messenger birds unless the message was important. He grabbed the note attached to its leg.

Belial was silent as unrolled the small paper. He was hoping for a change in his master's luck. And his expression soured as he reread the message. There was always a possibility of someone finding a vault or two, but this was a catastrophic setback.

"I have to tell Master."

Belial rushed out of his office and towards the staircase.

"Mr. Belial?" Beryl asked as the butler raced past her.

"Not now! I'll be right back."

He ran up the stairs and turned the corner towards the Duke's study. He knew the Duke was in a meeting with Viscount William Lysander and Lord Linus Dupree, but he needed to speak with him urgently.

***

Duke Alaric was sitting in his chair, listening to Linus Dupree, Baron Johnathan Dule's younger brother, complaining to him about his nephew, Johan Duke. Alaric's patience was wearing thin as he had more important things to deal with than some Minor Noble of a Major House trying to take the title from his nephew. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelFɪre.net

Alaric entertained the idea almost a month ago, but Alac and his men almost got caught. He was fortunate to get that now abandoned hideout and some information about Rya's strange new decoy Golems called Trojan Horses. It seems she used to draw out the bandit army Alac took over and slaughtered all of the bandits, even a few of Alac's men. Alaric was furious that he almost overextended his hand and got caught, but then he learned that Linus Dupree was the third brother of the Dule bloodline.

Even if Alaric succeeded in killing Johan, the next one line, if Johnathan died, would be Austin Dupree, who is close friends with Duval. So, if the vacancy were to occur at the top of the Dule Bloodline, Linus would be second or third in line. It depends on whether Johnathan's daughter Victoria is willing to step in and claim the title of a woman. It wouldn't be impossible, but she would have to swear loyalty to Marquess Duval, or he would move heaven and hell to get Austin the Title of Baron of Eder Hills.

With this information, Alaric didn't know why he even gave Linus his time in the first place. Especially when he only wanted to kill his nephew and not his older brother. Linus thought he wouldn't live much longer before becoming the Baron of Eder Hills. Johnathan is 68 years old, while Linus is 47. He liked his older brother, but he didn't like how weak the bloodline has become with Johan's and Victoria's manaless veins. They were nothing more than commoners in Linus' eyes, and they needed to be dealt with before someone else in the nobility tried to take the title from them.

In Alaric's mind, the only way for Linus to become Baron was to kill Johnathan and have Linus challenge his nephew for the Bloodline Rights for the Title at the funeral. If Austin wasn't there, then he wouldn't be able to stop Linus from claiming the Title.

It was a foolproof plan, but Alaric didn't know if Linus truly had it in him to do the job. Because Linus asked the Duke to do the dirty work instead of doing it himself. But Alaric wouldn't even bother going out to kill a man like Johnathan if Duval was going to use the strength of his grasp on the Major House of Lords. Plus, he had other things to focus on, like breaking up the possible marriage of that damn dark elf to his nephew. Then he needed to start an uprising and get the Kingdom of Marn's Armies involved with his plans to take the Fiafyr throne. And now he has to deal with a new issue. Word has it that Prince Terenthiel Marrel of the Holy Alliance has returned to the Divine Three's lands and it's only a matter of time before they raise their Armies after finding out about a Dark Elf who is engaged to the Crown Prince. They will invade if their Princess isn't married to Quinus, and the Dark Elf isn't executed.

This added to the headaches he has had in the past couple of days. With Marcus dead and his nephew marrying a healer that makes him untouchable on the battlefield, the only options left were to find a way to ruin Quinus' relationship and drive the Dark Elf away from the Kingdom of Fiafyr. Then, he could start an uprising with the Minor Nobles and have the Minor Houses rebel against the government and the Major Houses. So, until then, he needed to give his wife all of his support to influence the Ladies of the Court into hating Quinus and Rya. And his only hope was that his wife would succeed, or else they would have to face the consequences if he wasn't able to kill his nephew.

"—So how are we going to deal with this problem, Duke Alaric... My Lord?... Are you listening—"

"Are you questioning me, Linus!?" Alaric snapped at the Minor Lord.

"What!? No! I wouldn't think of such a thing, Duke Alaric."

"I have very little time for this, Linus... Maybe I should tell your brother that you've been asking me to kill his only son and heir... and you've been asking me for months now..."

Linus paled at the idea of his older brother knowing what he was doing. "N-no, you wouldn't do that, My Duke... Would you?"

Alaric gave the man a cold smile, "Don't tempt me... Linus."

"Of course not, My Lord... I would never—"

The door to Alaric's study was shaking like someone was knocking on it but no sound could be heard. Alaric narrowed his eyes before glancing to his right were William was standing by the sphere artifact that created a silence barrier within the Duke's study.

'Tsk!... There better be a good reason for the interruption.' Alaric thought as he reached for a button underneath his desk, which rang the bell outside of the door to his study. Once Belial heard the bell, the butler burst open the door, and he came rushing in. He stopped before the three men.

"My apologies, My Lord." Belial bowed deeply.

William was curious, while Linus was surprised and annoyed when a servant came in to interrupt his meeting with the Duke.

"What, Belial," Alaric asked as he tried to hide his annoyance.

Belial glanced at Linus, who wasn't allowed to know about this information. So, he hurried over to the Duke and handed him the rolled-up paper.

Alaric accepted the tightly rolled parchment from Belial, who cautiously stepped back from the Duke. Sensing the Duke's displeasure, Belial could only lower his head in a gesture of apology.

"Forgive me, My Lord."

Alaric gazed at him with a quizzical expression before unfolding the paper to read its contents. His usually composed visage began to falter as a twitch developed in his left eye, and his hands shook as he crumpled the paper in frustration. William, observing Alaric's distress, grew concerned that he might lash out, while Linus remained entirely unaware of the palpable tension in the room.

"Well, if you are finished, can we get back to dealing with my prob—"

"Out... Now..." Alaric said through clenched teeth.

"Huh?... My Duke—"

"I said, get out of my office and wait for Belial in the parlor," Alaric growled at the Minor Lord.

Linus was shocked. No one talked to him like that, and he felt the rage starting to boil. But Linus knew he couldn't take on the Duke and his guards. And worst of all, he needed the Duke's help with his plan to get rid of his nephew.

"Yes, My Lord."

Linus got up from his chair, gave the Duke a respectful nod, and left the office.

Once the door was closed, William finally asked, "My Lord, is everything alright?"

"No, William... EVERYTHING IS GOING TO SHIT!" Alaric roared as he slammed his fists onto his desk, causing the wood to crack.

William jumped at his friend's outburst, and Belial could only look down in shame.

"We should have known that Dark Elven Whore, wouldn't sit idly by to let me undo her..."

William wanted to ask what happened, but he had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on.

"Her Golems took almost everything in the Veridian Enclave... She hit 13 of the 30 vaults... All the treasures and money are gone..."

"How much?" William asked.

"Over 12 million Gold and another 5 million in weapons, armor, and shields," Belial answered.

"But there's still 27 vaults in Alistair's lands, right?" William asked.

"She hit all the biggest stashes... The only saving grace is she hasn't found the major vaults in the Divalo Domain or your lands, My Lord," Belial informed the Viscount.

"Maybe she doesn't know about—"

"SHE DOES, WILLIAM—I mean to say that she chose not to hit all my vaults on Alistair's lands..." Alaric said as he tested his elbows on top of his desk and started massaging his temples.

"I feel like I'm missing something, Alaric," William said, wanting answers.

"She left survivors... She could have killed everyone who was guarding the vaults, but she didn't. We wouldn't have known that she stole all my gold for weeks or months until Grayson's man would have swapped out the guards... This was a message, William. A message that she knew where my money was hidden, and she didn't want me to panic. But that will be her greatest mistake," Alaric said with a smug smile.

William was confused, "So, what are we going to do about the rest of the vaults? Are you going to transfer them to the vaults inside your lands?"

"No... That's what she wants me to do... The whore must have found someone who knew the location of all of my vaults in Alistair's enclave, and she must know I have more vaults outside of the enclave, but she doesn't know the location of my main vaults in Divalo Domain. I can't let her find them, or she'll bleed me dry and cripple my ability to keep most of the Minor Nobles under my thumb... Belial, what is the remaining worth of the gold and military assets left inside the Veridian Enclave?

"There is a little over 5 million in gold and silver left in the vaults with around 2 million in military assets, My Lordship," Belial answered.

Alaric's face soured when he learned how much of his treasure was stolen. "How much is in my domain's vaults?

"There is a combined 31 million in gold and silver in your vaults, My Lord," Belial answered.

William's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he heard this, "Thirty million!? I knew you were bringing in the golf, but that's absurd... There's enough wealth for three countries in those vaults."

"I know... And that's why I can't let her find them," Alaric said as he got up from his seat and started pacing. "We need to move it out of those vaults and into another locate... But where do I have a new secret location that very few people within my domain know about?"

"Is it even possible to move that much gold without anyone noticing?" William asked. He had once tried to move 2 million in gold, and it was a nightmare for the Viscount.

"It can be done with enough effort and a few trustworthy men. But that's not the issue... I would be emptying three major vaults and all of my smaller ones into somewhere else outside of our lands and into an area where that whore wouldn't expect, like the few small vaults I have inside of Earl Nathaniel's Domain. But I don't have a big enough hideout to store the amount of gold and the military assets... And building a big enough place would raise suspicion with our enemies, and it will take a good amount of time to build so that whore might find my vaults before I get the chance to move them."

Belial paused, deep in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he came to the realization that within the Eder Hills Domain, there existed a location that seemed to perfectly align with the requirements of his Lordship.

"If I may make a suggestion, My Lord?"

"Yes, Belial. Go ahead," Alaric said as he looked at his butler.

"What about the abandoned Brigand's base inside the Eldermyst forest? Very few of the members of our organization know about it or have the knowledge of how to find it. From all the reports I've received from Alac, it can easily house the 31 million and the military assets as well. Not to mention that it's deep inside the Eldermyst Forest, so no one can find it without us knowing."

Alaric squinted as he contemplated the situation. Disappointed in Alac, he yearned to impose a lifelong sentence of guarding an empty space as punishment. It was a decision he felt compelled to make at that very moment but he might need to reconsider it due to the nature of the Duke's new predicament he found himself in. Then there was another issue that gave him pause. It was the fact that he would be putting all of his eggs in one basket within Baron Johnathan Dule's lands. He was among the few nobles who despised him as much as his younger brother, Cyndre, and if Johnathan knew that he stored most of his hidden gold within his lands then the Baron might try to claim the gold as his. Alaric wished he had a better option, but if he waited too long to act, then Rya's Golems were soon to find his vaults. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Alaric hesitated before reluctantly admitting, "I have no other option but to brace myself for the worst," as he glanced over at his butler.

"My Lord?" Belial inquired, his voice filled with urgency.

Alaric leaned back in his chair and inquired, "How thorough are Johnathan's people in patrolling the Eldermyst forest?"

"We're still working on getting more information about that, but with the bandits Alac hired to kill Johan now wiped out, I think the Baron's knights will start patrolling the perimeter of their lands more often," Belial answered to the best of his ability.

Alaric shut his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration. "So, you're telling me my destiny is to aid that clueless Minor Noble in becoming the Baron of Eder Hills? It's enough to make my stomach turn, but it seems I have no choice... He better listen to my plans, or I will kill him and his son for being incompetent. The Dule bloodline is truly pathetic and is a disgrace to the Fiafyr Kingdom..."

William and Belial exchanged a hesitant glance with each other before turning their attention back to Alaric. They refrained from making any remarks about his strategy regarding Baron Johnathan Dule.

After some time, Alaric emerged from the depths of his contemplation.

"Alright... Here's what we need to do... Belial, I need you to get in touch with Grayson Ravenheart and let him know that he and his crew are cleared to claim all the gold and weapons left in the Vaults across the Veridian Enclave. Tell him to use it to prepare for war... That's if that whore's insects don't kill them for the remaining gold and weapons," Alaric mumbled the last part to himself.

William was uncertain if he had correctly heard his friend, but he grasped the overall meaning of the Duke's words. However, he wondered about the rationale behind providing funds to the Mercenaries when Alaric could regain the money upon retrieving the remaining gold from the other vaults.

"But Your Majesty?... We can't lose those vaults... They have been a boon to our plans, and we'll need all the money if you want to overthrow the Kingdom's Armies," William argued.

Alaric glared at the Viscount before turning his gaze towards Belial, "You think I'm an idiot, William? The fate of those vaults hangs in the balance now that the Dark Elf is aware of their location. She's the most cunning adversary I've ever encountered, and I'm worried she'll exploit the gold and assets to her advantage. She's willing to use them as bait to find the rest of my assets, but if Grayson can get most of it before she realizes that the gold isn't being transported to my other vaults, then she could lose her chance to utilize it for her own nefarious purposes. The Raven Knights would put that gold to better use than if she were to get her hands on all of it. Plus, if the Raven Knights succeed in acquiring most of the gold and military assets inside the enclave, I won't have to pay for their services for quite some time. At the end of the day, I'll need them for the impending war. Send a messenger to the Raven Knights and instruct them to take all the assets from the vaults and abandon them. There's no point in guarding those vaults if she is going to kill them and instruct Grayson to use the gold to bolster their armies and then secretly make their way to my lands. We'll need their help for the next phase of our plan."

William didn't like the idea of handing over all that money and military assets to some Mercenaries, but Alaric's logic was sound, and there was no point in arguing the merits of his plan. Belial loved the plan, but he was curious about what his lordship's plans were to move out the gold from the Divalo Domain to the Eldermyst compound.

"Very good, Your Grace... And how would like me to handle the Divalo vaults?" Belial asked.

Alaric thought about it for a few minutes, "Send a message to my General, Clint. Advise him to use men who are loyal and willing to stay hidden from society for an unknown amount of time. Also, tell Alac that he and his men to prepare space in the compound for our guests."

Belial nodded, but then a thought occurred to him, "If Sir Clint finds out that the vaults were raided my a Mage. He might demand to have a Sorcerer's Snare—"

"He's going to have to live with the fact that I could only find one of those artifacts and I'm not giving him my only protection against that whore. Unless you know of any others that are being sold? No? Then tell him no, and if he complains too much, I'll find a new general." Alaric replied.

"O-Of course, your grace... And what of Lord Linus? Do you wish for me to tell him to leave?" Belial asked.

"Unfortunately I need to speak to him one more time... And he better appreciate the offer that I'm about to give to him... Summon him here at once." Duke Alaric said.

Belial nodded, bowed and then went to get Lord Linus Dupree. While William and Alaric were alone, Alaric sighed, "I swear I am so close to the throne, but every time I'm within reach, so unknown variable comes along and ruins everything!"

"I don't disagree, Your Grace... It feels like the fates our always against you, but you will prevail. It's your birthright to lead our Kingdom from ruin... Plus, it's going to be fun watching Duval lose all of his influence. And this Dark period will end soon." William said.

Alaric smiled, "And you will be rewarded for your loyalty, my friend. And the day will come where I will make you a Marquess."

William was taken aback, but his excitement was palpable, and it was then that Belial came back with Lord Linus.

"What was the point of kicking me out of the room, only for your servant to drag me back? I hope you have something important to tell me, my Lord," Linus said in a irritated tone.

This soured the Duke and he wanted to kill him right then and there. But he needed this arrogant Minor Noble to do something for him, "So you don't want my help after all. You can leave, Linus—"

"W-Wait!?... You were going to help me get the Title?" Linus asked.

"Was, being the key word here," Duke Alaric replied. "But you came in here and lied to my face. So why should I help someone who I can't trust?"

"Lie? What lie?" Linus tried to play dumb.

"You forgot to mention that you another brother that is loyal to Marquess Duval Wrightwood. And you thought that you could bypass Austin for the Title?... You're dumber than I thought, but lucky for you. I'm willing to work with idiots."

Linus' face paled, "But Austin doesn't want anything to do with the nobility—"

"HA HA HA! The Duke is right! You are a idiot!" William burst out laughing.

Linus gritted his teeth and glared at the Viscount.

"Your brother is friends with Duval... And he has a way of convincing others that he will benefit them. You don't have a shot at the Title by normal means, Linus... So I'm going to ask you one more time... Do you wish to become the next Baron of Eder Hills?

Linus was silent at first but then he looked at the Duke with conviction and said, "I will do anything."

"Good." The Duke was pleased. "So, here's the plan. I will find someone to deal with Johnathan—"

"You're going to kill my brother?"

"You need to learn when to shut up, Linus," William snapped.

Linus finally realized that the Duke was annoyed with all the interruptions. So he remained silent and let the Duke continue.

"As I was saying. I will find someone to deal with your brother. And then, Johan will be given the right to the Title of Baron. It will be at this time where anyone within the Dule family bloodlines can challenge Johan. We'll make sure that Austin Depree can't make it to the funeral, unless you wish for his death as well?" Alaric asked with a stoic gaze.

Linus started sweating a bit before he answered, "The death of Austin won't be necessary, my Lord... I will do as you say to save my family's bloodline from the weakness that is inflicting us. I will kill Johan myself and make him an example of what happens when you born without a mana vein."

Alaric kept up his stoic front, "Good... Now sit back and prepare for dueling your nephew... For the next Baron of Eder Hills is about to come into fruition."

With that the Duke and his men got to work with all the various tasks they needed to do.

Linus just sat there, with his head held down and his mind was swirling with different scenarios. He knew his life was over. But he felt that if he was able to kill his nephew and take the Baron's title, he would be able to regain a lot of respect within the court.

Meanwhile, back in the Palace, a carriage with the Mage's Guild crest was approaching the castle gate.